Leo giggled uncontrollably as Wonshik waved his arms around, telling him how they used to try and communicate through the window of his balcony at the palace. Apparently, Wonshik had been a gardener before he had become a soldier- he had gotten the job after he and the others had saved the princes lives when they had been attacked by bandits. Leo hadn't believed him at first, but the story was too detailed to make up on the spot. 

"Were you good at your job?" He asked, eyes lit up in curiosity and wonder at the tales Wonshik was telling him. The younger man's eyes suddenly widened and his head dropped, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips "Aha, well, Jaehwan and Sanghyuk did most of the work," he blushed "I would shirk my duties to meet with you a lot of the time." He grinned to himself and looked back up at Leo, who was gaping at him. "Hey, now," he jumped to defend himself "You did too."

The elder's brow creased skeptically "Really?"

"Yes!" Wonshik exclaimed to the man laying his head down on his now outstretched arm "You were even worse than me sometimes. It was like we couldn't go more than a few hours without seeing each other. Leo bit his lip to suppress a bright smile; Wonshik really wasn't as frightening as he thought. If anything, he was goofier than Jaehwan and Sanghyuk when he wanted to be. Maybe it was his job in the army that had hardened his manner- that made sense. He turned his attention back to the soldier as he continued: "Taekwoon... Leo, do you remember what I said to you when we met in the alley?"

Leo frowned thoughtfully for a moment or two before replied, his voice wavering and unsure "You- You called me your 'lover'."

"Right," Wonshik swallowed thickly "Does that make more sense now?" The question was hopeful, optimistic, stupidly so but it was one he had to ask. 

"Not really."

Of course not.

Wonshik sighed and looked down at Leo, seeing the lost prince's eyes shining under the moonlight. "You're not going to force me to..." the elder gulped, a lump beginning to form in his throat and tears forming in his eyes. The fear was setting back in again, sneaking back in when he wasn't looking. "I don't want to." The younger man felt his heart tighten in his chest and he shook his head, sitting up once more and cupping Leo's chin gently "I will never," he promised, "I just wanted to know if hearing part of our story had jogged some of your memories is all."

Leo sniffed and shook his head slowly "No, sorry."

"Okay," Wonshik nodded, trying his best to be encouraging and show no outward sign of just how disappointed he was. The prince needed help, not pressure. "Do you want me to continue?" Leo gave a minuscule nod and he smiled warmly, settling back down "Well if you don't mind hearing about it, we used to go to that tree I told you about earlier. We would lie in the grass, I would hold you and we would tell each other about our lives- how different they had been- how our days had gone, and..." he hesitated briefly, causing Leo to glance up at him "I'd kiss you."

"You used to like your hair being and you'd always tangle our legs up, somehow," he chuckled, shaking his head "It was perfect. Until we got caught."

This seemed to peak Leo's interest and his body went tense in Wonshik's arms "By who?" Wonshik's face became a myriad of conflicting emotions and he pursed his lips "First Sanghyuk, and then Woobin."

"Who's that?"

"The bastard that caused all this," the soldier spat, scowling deeply as a darkness filled his tone, causing it to drip with a kind of hate Leo hadn't ever seen before. Tentatively, the elder reached over and put a hand gingerly on Wonshik's "Tell me what happened," he mumbled, trying for an encouraging smile "How is this his fault? I doubt a man could-"

"No!" Wonshik cried, grabbing his face between both his palms and staring right into the prince's eyes "He wants you and your brothers dead! We thought he had killed you for five years! I saw you go over a cliff..." He trailed off when he registered the look of complete and utter shock and horror on Leo's face; he'd said too much. He had never intended to tell him about that tonight. The elder's jaw dropped and his bottom lip began to tremble. A certain realisation dawned on his ghostly pale features and Wonshik let him go, allowing him to turn his head away. 

A long, turbulent silence ensued before Leo finally found the words to say, piecing everything together in his head "That's why I have to dress as a lady? Everybody thinks I am dead?!" He pushed himself up on his elbows, chest rising and falling rapidly "That's why Hakyeon insisted I shared a tent with you, isn't it? And why you entered this land in the first place; you were searching for him!"

Wonshik could only nod. There was no point in lying now- it wasn't like they would have been able to keep it secret much longer. When the elder demanded to know why Woobin wanted him and his brothers gone, he told him. When he asked him about the circumstances of his 'death', he recounted them exactly. There was no point in fighting.

"Father did not take much convincing when it came to letting me come with you," Leo remarked, voice tinted with the faintest bit of disdain and anger "Is that why?" The young soldier nodded once more "He realised that, since you lost your memory, it was possible for you to be Taekwoon- and he recognised you in Hakyeon's pendant, I fancy, so he could not argue." 

"What do you want with me?" The elder let out an exasperated sigh, muttering something about 'this is a lot to take in' before turning back to Wonshik "This Woobin person is trying to kill me and yet you take me away from the place I have had sanctuary in for years."

Wonshik tipped his head back and bit his lip in frustration "Taekwoon, this isn't where you belong. This kingdom, that town, is not your home. You need to come back to Nydlica where we can help you recover your memories properly, and where you can be properly protected."

Leo's face crumpled and he looked down in defeat, shaking his head "I'm scared." 

Suddenly, there was a warm hand cupping his own and something pecked his cheek lightly causing him to freeze. "That's what I'm here for. I'll make you feel safe- you're not alone."

Hey, angels.

God, it seems like ages since I updated this but I've just been blocking a little recently. Also, I'm going through a bit of a tough time at the minute so my writing tends to get a little angsty/ intense/ sad in times like this. Hence, why I have been updating Into The Void more often than this (those of you who are reading that will know what I mean there because *whistles* is going down in that one). 

Basically, aside from the ton of homework I've got (which is mostly , pointless, repetitive stuff the teacher won't even mark or grade) I've been assigned a new therapist. To say I'm scared is an understatement. 

Like, my last therapist refused to acknowledge the external factors contributing to my anxiety disorder. Like, my dyspraxia, my Aspergers traits, and my depressive episodes. And I always felt like I was wasting her time. Like I felt she didn't fully understand me. How could she? She knew me, technically, an hour (I had two out of what was supposed to be six 30 minute appointments with her before she decided she couldn't help me and I was put on an 8-week waiting list for this new therapist). And it felt like I was being blamed for my problems first and by then supported second- like she was judging me. And then she gave up on me in the midst of one of my darkest episodes where it made me seriously ill. What if that happens again? 

I know I should have faith but it's really worrying me a number of times I've been passed around from therapist to doctor and nobody seems willing or able to help me.

*Sigh* Anyway, whatever, I'll try to go in with an open mind, I guess. I didn't mean to rant that long but it all just sort of spewed out, mianhamnida :/

HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER AND THANKS FOR READING! <3